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Bilbao Masters 2016 - Round 9 Video Recap

Opening: D00: Queen's pawn, Mason variation

Player(s): Carlsen, Giri

GM Alex Yermolinsky recaps Round 9. Magnus again. It's getting almost boring, isn't it? I have to steal a line that a friend of mine sent me today, right after the Norwegian won his game with Giri and the tournament: "The dust from the last event was just settling into a pale gray blanket when the Carlsen train steamed through Bilbao. A thick and choking fog enveloped the venue and the other combatants fell to the floor, unable to withstand...". This quasi-poetic joke about Magnus' dominance of the chess scene is actually a nice way to put what's in front of our eyes: the World Champion wins everything he plays in. And not only does he win, he literally dominates. Bilbao started with a major upset, when Nakamura won his first classic game against Carlsen, but all that did was unleash Magnus' rage and willpower. Giri is having what looks like to be the worst major event in his still young career, and today he had his chances to come out of this game with half a point in the pocket. But Magnus, with his unbelievable patience and skills, kept on pressing the Dutch GM, who blundered horribly in time pressure. Great victory by the reigning World Champion. The other two games were uneventful draws, with the players who almost seemed not to try hard enough, and Magnus has been the only one showing what he can do in these 9 rounds. Tomorrow Last Round starts earlier, at 9am EDT - 15:00 CEDT. Pairings: So-Carlsen, Giri-Nakamura, Karjakin-Wei.